Supergirl opens weakly as Toy Story 5 stays atop box office
The DC release took in $38 million domestically, while Pixar’s sequel added $70 million in North America and pushed its global total to $585 million.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
“Supergirl” opened to $38 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, a weak start for Warner Bros.’ rebuilt DC film operation, according to studio estimates reported Sunday by the Associated Press. The superhero film finished far behind “Toy Story 5,” which stayed at No. 1 and continued one of the year’s strongest box-office runs.
Disney’s Pixar sequel collected $70 million domestically in its second weekend and added $89.1 million overseas, according to the AP. The film has reached $585 million worldwide after two weeks in release.
“Supergirl” added $30 million from international markets, the AP reported. The opening puts the film among the softer launches for a major DC title, below “The Flash,” which debuted with $55 million in 2023, and “Green Lantern,” which opened with $53 million in 2011. It came in only slightly ahead of “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which started with $37.7 million in 2024.
A setback for the DC reset
The film is the second theatrical release under James Gunn and Peter Safran, who were chosen to run DC Studios in late 2022, according to the AP. Their first release, 2025’s “Superman,” earned $618 million globally.
Craig Gillespie directed “Supergirl,” with Gunn serving as a producer, the AP reported. Milly Alcock stars as Superman’s younger cousin after briefly appearing in “Superman.”
The AP reported that “Supergirl” cost $170 million to produce and was significantly cut after test screenings. The film drew weak audience and critic responses, with a 56% Rotten Tomatoes score and a “B-” CinemaScore, according to the AP.
David A. Gross of the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe told the AP that superhero films no longer command the box office as they did before the pandemic. Gross said annual box office for the genre is down by about $3.5 billion from its 2017-2019 peak, with fewer releases each year.
Gross also pointed to a slide for female-led superhero films after earlier successes such as “Wonder Woman,” which grossed $822 million in 2017, and “Captain Marvel,” which took in $1.13 billion in 2019. “You’ll hear general explanations like ‘the audience lost interest.’ Yes, they did,” Gross told the AP, adding that the industry still does not fully understand the speed of the decline.
Other weekend releases
The AP reported that Warner Bros. Discovery, Warner Bros.’ parent company, is preparing to be acquired by Paramount Skydance. Paramount chief executive David Ellison recently met with Gunn and Safran, according to the AP.
DC’s next planned release is “Clayface,” described by the AP as a body-horror take on the DC character, due in October. Gunn’s “Superman” follow-up, “Man of Tomorrow,” is in production and scheduled for July 2027.
Paramount’s “Jackass: Best and Last” opened with $8.4 million from 2,855 North American theaters, according to the AP. The stunt compilation cost $10 million to make; the prior installment, “Jackass Forever,” opened with $23 million in 2022 and later earned $80 million worldwide.
A24’s “The Invite,” directed by Olivia Wilde, opened on seven screens in New York and Los Angeles with $379,104, according to the AP. Its $54,158 per-screen average ranked among the year’s best, and the film is set to expand next week before going nationwide July 10.
Rentrak’s estimated domestic top five for the weekend were “Toy Story 5” with $70 million, “Supergirl” with $38 million, “Obsession” with $9.8 million, “Jackass: Best and Last” with $8.4 million and “Disclosure Day” with $8.1 million, according to the AP.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.